The world of music has always been too racially segregated and still is so for at least my entire lifetime.

Why there even has to be a "black bluegrass band" that has to emphasize that fact in their chosen name is one of those things that hurts my heart.

And that's not these kids' fault.


As to why the banjo is now predominantly a "white" person's instrument has its roots in the days of slavery when the drum was outlawed after the slave owners understood that the drum could be used for actual communication at a distance among Africans. Placing strings across the top of a drum head and inserting a bridge between the two has its roots on one of the "Goto" instruments of northern Africa, which also had movable frets. Here in the days of slavery, the black man could claim that his banjo was not a "drum" due to the strings on it. But that, too, was stolen from us and used by white "Mummers" in sheer derision and sorry mimic of us, complete with blackface makeup and long parades.

Once the white race takes something away from us like that, it is near impossible to interest our next generation in that thing. Which explains why we have Rap to contend with. Rap is headed in the same direction as all the rest. That's my prediction.

Just attemptin' to speak real truth to real power here.


--Mac

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